Rams running back Todd Gurley, seen in a file photo taken prior to Super Bowl 53, sidestepped questions about the specifics of the condition of his knee during a news conference on Monday, April 15, 2019. “All I can worry about is how I’m feeling right now,” Gurley said. “I don’t know how I’m gonna be feeling six months from now.” (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

THOUSAND OAKS – As questions swirled around the uncertain status of his troublesome knee, Todd Gurley decided to get away this offseason.

Coming off a Super Bowl loss, with a new contract in hand, the Rams star running back afforded himself some time off. His body needed it. And with a new contract extension, his wallet could handle it. “I finally got the money I deserved,” Gurley said on Monday.

So late last month, he and some friends jetted across the world, celebrating the spoils of their new contracts by living large for a few days. They bounced around Europe on a private jet, flying between Barcelona and London and Milan, hitting up clubs at each stop. “I kind of did everything I always wanted to do,” Gurley said. He called it “the time of my life”.

But when Gurley returned to Los Angeles, those questions about his knee were still awaiting answers. As the Rams gathered for the first day of their offseason program, Gurley spoke for the first time publicly about his status, but didn’t do much to clear up uncertainty about his knee. The 24-year-old All-Pro noted only that he felt “pretty good”. But what about reports that he was diagnosed with arthritis in his knee?

“All I can worry about is how I’m feeling right now,” Gurley said when pressed on the topic. “I don’t know how I’m gonna be feeling six months from now. Just keep working hard, doing what I’ve been doing these past couple years.”

Down the stretch last season, though, Gurley bore little resemblance to the running back that dominated the league since his arrival in 2015. The 2017 NFL Offensive Player of the Year missed the final two weeks of last season with inflammation in his knee, before returning in the divisional round of the playoffs. He rushed for 115 yards and a touchdown in a victory over the Dallas Cowboys. But with his injury clearly affecting him, Gurley disappeared in the two postseason games that followed, tallying just 47 total yards and a touchdown between the NFC championship game and Super Bowl.

Since then, the Rams haven’t exactly been forthcoming with details about their star running back, who inked a 4-year, $60 million deal with the team last July. Both general manager Les Snead and coach Sean McVay have tiptoed around offering any sort of definitive answer to what ailed Gurley at the end of 2018.

Gurley offered only a few other details about what’s unfolded since. He said that he met after the season with Reggie Scott, the Rams director of sports medicine and performance, to discuss potential treatment options for his knee. But surgery, he clarified, was never seriously considered.

“Really just resting, that was the main thing,” he said. “That was my first time ever playing in February.”

So he gave himself a break this offseason. And how much more work he’ll actually do from now until training camp remains to be seen. It’s likely as the Rams begin their offseason training activities in a month that they’ll tread lightly with their star running back.

That could mean more work for Malcolm Brown, Gurley’s backup, for whom the Rams matched an offer sheet to retain this offseason. In keeping Brown, the Rams said goodbye to C.J. Anderson, whose standout performance down the stretch helped propelled the Rams offense through the playoffs. With Gurley’s status still up the air, Brown could set himself up in the coming months for a major role next season.

As far as Gurley’s concerned, Brown is already just as capable of carrying the load.

“If I go out, he’s doing the exact same thing,” Gurley said. “Malc is a great running back. It doesn’t matter who’s in the game.”

Of course, the Rams would rather Gurley be off the field as little as possible. Whether he can handle the heavy workload he’s carried in the past may still be an open question. But as far as McVay is concerned, Gurley is still central to his high-powered offense.

“Todd is a guy that’s been a focal point of this offense,” McVay said on Monday. “He’s going to continue to be.”

Just over six months ago, Cooper Kupp’s breakout second season ended prematurely with a torn ACL. But assuming everything continues as planned, that injury won’t keep the Rams ascending slot receiver off the field at the start of Year 3.

Rams coach Sean McVay reiterated on Monday that Kupp was “right on track” in his recovery from November surgery. He went so far as to set a timeline for Kupp’s return.

“The goal for us is to have him ready for Week 1,” McVay said. “I think he’ll be able to do some different things. He’s a guy that’s attacked his rehab the right way. But, for us, it’s let’s make sure we put him in the right position to be ready for whenever that opening date is.”

NOTES

Quarterback Jared Goff, who is now eligible to sign a long-term extension with the Rams, said on Monday that any potential contract negotiations are “not on my mind at all.” … The Rams announced the signings of restricted free agent safety Blake Countess, as well as exclusive rights free agent defensive end Morgan Fox, defensive backs Dominique Hatfield and Kevin Peterson and wideouts Khadarel Hodge and Jojo Natson. Linebacker Cory Littleton and cornerback Troy Hill have still yet to sign their restricted free agent tenders.

Ryan Kartje is a sports features reporter, with a special focus on the NFL and college sports. He has worked for the Orange County Register since 2012, when he was hired as UCLA beat writer. His enterprise work on the rise and fall of the daily fantasy sports industry (http://www.ocregister.com/articles/industry-689093-fantasy-daily.html) was honored in 2015 with an Associated Press Sports Editors’ enterprise award in the highest circulation category. His writing has also been honored by the Football Writers Association of America and the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Ryan worked for the Bloomington (Ind.) Herald-Times and Fox Sports Wisconsin, before moving out west to live by the beach and eat copious amounts of burritos.